


Priceless, Invaluable, Irreplaceable

by just_another_outcast



Series: the scenes we deserve (episode tags) [1]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Tag, Episode: s01e01 Pilot (Prodigal Son), Family, Gen, Good Parent Gil Arroyo, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Malcolm Bright Needs a Hug, Mild Suicidal Thoughts, Papa Gil, Tag to 1x01, but he's fine enough, coda to 1x01, he's fine, i mean happy enough i guess, i mean he's definitely not fine, mild suicidal themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:28:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24658363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_another_outcast/pseuds/just_another_outcast
Summary: Malcolm's willingness to let himself be killed by Berkhead chills Gil to the core. Before the night is over, he needs to remind Malcolm of just how important he is. He will not let him do anything stupid.(tag to 1x01, the pilot)
Relationships: Gil Arroyo & Malcolm Bright
Series: the scenes we deserve (episode tags) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782832
Comments: 11
Kudos: 119





	Priceless, Invaluable, Irreplaceable

**Author's Note:**

> I am a monster who cannot be stopped, so I am writing a tag to every single episode, just like I did for MacGyver two years ago. I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review!!!

Walking into a hostage situation never got any less nerve-wracking. There was always the possibility that something could go terribly wrong, and the hostages wouldn't make it. Knowing that the hostages were likely Dani and Malcolm, his own kid, made it all so much worse. His nerves were higher, the cost being so much greater if something went wrong. But Gil did his job and stormed into the room, guns blazing, with JT at his side. The scene in front of him barely even registered in his mind before he was firing two shots at Berkhead, dropping the man instantly. The man had been holding a syringe to his kid's arm, a syringe filled with some terrible drug that would slowly torture and kill Malcolm. And Malcolm had been letting him do it. He hadn't been fighting back. He was going to let it happen.

Gil stood there in shock for a moment as Malcolm fell to his knees, Dani quickly dropping next to him. Gil could see the fear in her eyes from across the room, as well as the few tears that made their way down Malcolm's face.

"You weren't gonna let him do that?" Gil could barely hear Dani over the roaring in his ears.

"Of course not. That'd be crazy," Malcolm muttered. Clearly in shock herself, Dani stood and went to assist JT, but she really needed to be checked out by a medic. Malcolm too.

Before Gil could go over to Malcolm, the kid stood on shaky legs, and brushed past him, purposely not making eye contact. For the time being, Gil would let it go, but not for long. Dani was telling JT about what had happened, and Gil knew he needed to address Malcolm's parentage before they could do anything else.

That conversation was held at the back of an ambulance, since Dani was reasonable enough to know that she needed to be checked out. As important as that conversation was, Gil couldn't help but be antsy. He needed to get to Malcolm before the kid took a cab home. He could not let that boy leave before he got a chance to talk to him.

Once Dani and JT's curiosity was sated - for the time being, at least - Gil practically jogged down the street trying to catch up. Malcolm would have to walk a ways down to catch a cab, since a good portion of the street was blocked off due to the police cars, ambulances, and media vehicles. But Gil could see Malcolm almost at the corner.

"Hey, Bright!" he called out. The kid immediately stopped and turned on his heel, visibly deflating when he saw who it was. Gil quickly caught up to him and rested his hand on Malcolm's shoulder. "Why don't you let me give you a ride home?" he suggested. The kid still wasn't making eye contact, so Gil slung his whole arm around the kid's shoulders and started walking them towards the LeMans. Malcolm didn't fight it.

The short ride back to Malcolm's loft was uncharacteristically quiet. Malcolm was a chatterbox, and had been since he was a teenager. Usually, Gil found it endearing rather than annoying. But that just made it all the more obvious and worrisome when the kid was quiet. For the moment, Gil didn't press him to talk. It was a conversation that Gil wanted to be totally committed to, and he couldn't give the kid his complete focus and drive at the same time.

The moment that Gil put the car in park, right outside Malcolm's loft, the kid went to open the door and escape the conversation that he clearly knew was coming and didn't want to have.

"Kid, wait, please," Gil asked of him, his voice as gentle as he could make it. Head hanging low, Malcolm took his hand off the handle and turned back to face forward. "We need to talk about what happened tonight."

"I'm fine," Malcolm immediately responded, flashing Gil an obviously fake smile. Gil looked pointedly down at the kid's trembling hand before resuming eye contact. "Okay, maybe just slightly less than fine," he amended.

"No, you're not," Gil replied. His words weren't meant to be accusatory, just a statement made by someone who loved the kid more than anything. "Despite what you told Dani, I know you were going to let Berkhead kill you." Malcolm closed his eyes and hung his head once again. Gil quickly reached out and squeezed the back of the kid's neck, his usual reminder that he was there and he loved him and he was always going to be there. "Dani told me what you said, about how you said you deserved it. Kid, do I need to be worried? Do I need to call your mother, or Dr. Le Deux, or-"

"No, no, you don't have to call anyone, I'm fine-"

"No, you're not," Gil repeated. "You wouldn't have been letting him kill you, saying that you deserved it, if you were okay."

"I didn't mean it, I was just saying what I needed to to get him to leave Detective Powell alone," Malcolm muttered in reply, almost as if he were a little kid trying to excuse their bad behavior to their parents.

Gil knew he was never going to get Malcolm to admit to him that he wasn't just making things up for the situation, that he really did mean it, so he wouldn't fight that battle. All battles against Malcolm were hard to fight. The kid was just as strong willed and stubborn as his mother, and when he dug his heels in, there was no moving him. Gil needed to try a different approach. Brutally honest and baring his emotions in a way that Malcolm could not argue against usually worked, but it was a worst case scenario tactic. Gil didn't want to have to do that unless there was no other option. He hadn't needed to since the kid was in his late teens and spiraling so badly that Gil thought he might lose him forever. But saying that he deserved such torturous pain and giving himself up like a sacrificial lamb to be slaughtered, seeming almost eager to do so, to die, was definitely a worst case scenario.

"I love you more than anything," Gil blurted out. Malcolm's eyes quickly darted up to meet his for a brief moment. "Kid, look at me, please, so you know I'm telling you nothing but the truth." Slowly, Malcolm resumed eye contact, and all Gil could see was that spiraling teenager who believed the world was better off without him. Gil never wanted to see that again. "You are the only son I've ever had, and the only one I need," he continued. "You matter more to me than anyone or anything. If something happened to you-" he broke off, shaking his head as his eyes were suddenly filled with tears for a moment. He'd been forced to contemplate what life without Malcolm might look like, but he'd saved the kid then, and he was going to save him again. Gil was not going to let Malcolm hurt himself again, to do anything stupid like that again. "You mean the whole world to me, kid. The whole damn world. Nothing would ever be the same if I lost you. But beyond what it would do to me, the world would be at a loss. With you, the world is a brighter place," he said, parroting a phrase that Jackie had told the kid time and time again. "You are priceless, invaluable, and irreplaceable." Gil gave the kid's neck a squeeze and smiled softly, indicating that he was done.

Malcolm was still looking up at him like he couldn't believe that someone could love him that much. Gil would repeat his speech every day if that's what it took to make Malcolm believe that he had intrinsic value as a human being, and so much more as the amazing man he was.

"I'm sorry," Malcolm finally replied, his voice breaking a bit. "I just- I'm sorry," he repeated as tears filled his eyes once again.

"Hey, hey, none of that," Gil quickly responded. He began to rub the kid's back, and let his other hand rest on the kid's knee. In the car, he couldn't exactly hold him close and hug him, no matter how much Gil wanted to. "You don't have to apologize for anything, especially these feelings and emotions that you can't control." Malcolm nodded, but he didn't look like he actually believed him, so Gil continued. "I didn't tell you all that to make you feel bad. I told you all that to remind you how much you mean to me, and how you should hold yourself in much higher esteem than you do."

Malcolm took a deep breath, and nodded once again. "I'm sorry," he repeated, then cringed and shook his head, the barest hint of a smile on his face as he realized his misstep. Gil couldn't help but smile at that. He would consider that a success.

"Are you gonna be okay tonight?" he asked. "Do you need me to stay with you? Because you know I will. If you need me, I will be there, no matter what."

"No, I've got Sunshine, I'll be okay," Malcolm replied, giving Gil a slightly more real smile. "I promise, I will see you tomorrow." He looked straight into Gil's eyes, and Gil knew he was telling the truth. For the night, at least, the kid wasn't going to do anything stupid. When Malcolm had that look in his eyes when he promised something, he always kept that promise. For the night, Gil didn't have anything to worry about. The kid was promising to still be there in the morning. He breathed a sigh of relief, his nerves relaxing significantly. The kid was going to be okay.

"Okay," Gil responded. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Goodnight, Gil," he said, turning once more to the door, and actually opening it this time. Gil let him.

"Goodnight, kid. Try to get some sleep," he called out after him.

"No promises," Malcolm called back, a sardonic, yet real smile on his face. Gil would take it.

The drive back to his own home was just as silent as the ride to Malcolm's loft had been, but this time, just for now, there was peace.


End file.
